CAD software in 2026: 16 programs compared, prices included

Updated November 13, 2026. Prices checked the same day on each vendor's website.

To design parts and machines in a business setting, SOLIDWORKS, Inventor and Solid Edge are still the benchmarks, at €2,300 to €3,900 excl. VAT per year per seat. Fusion and Onshape cost less and run without a powerful Windows workstation, FreeCAD is free, and for 2D drafting in DWG format, DraftSight, BricsCAD or AutoCAD LT get the job done for a few hundred euros a year.

Ohmycad is a Dassault Systèmes reseller: we sell SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, xDesign and DraftSight. We still wrote this comparison so it is useful to readers who will never buy anything from us. See how we compared.

Table of contents

• Which software for which profile
• Comparison table of 16 CAD software packages
• How we compared
• Desktop 3D CAD software
• Cloud-based 3D CAD
• Free CAD software
• 2D drafting: AutoCAD and its alternatives
• How to choose: 6 criteria that actually matter
• The mistakes we see most often

Which software for which profile

Comparison table of 16 CAD software packages

Public entry prices checked on November 13, 2026, in € excl. VAT per year per user. When the vendor shows a price incl. VAT, we converted it to excl. VAT. When the vendor does not say, we use the figure as shown.

This comparison covers the design of parts and machines and technical drawings. Blender, Maya or Cinema 4D (animation and rendering), Revit or ArchiCAD (buildings) and Rhino (design surfaces) serve other needs, so we do not rank them here.

How we compared

Every price was read on November 13, 2026, on the vendor's sales page, for France when one exists. No reseller prices, no estimates: TopSolid does not publish a price, so that cell stays empty. Dassault Systèmes prices come from the official 2026 price list. The "entry price" is the cheapest edition sold for professional use; it is not always the edition you will end up buying.

The opinions on each package reflect what we see in presales and with customers who come to us from another tool. We sell Dassault Systèmes software, and we say so up front so you can take it into account. Every package on this list has at least one profile we would recommend it for.

Next price update: March 2027.

Desktop 3D CAD software

These are the engineering department tools. Installed on a Windows workstation, parametric, with drawings and assembly management. They differ less in what they can do than in their ecosystem, their price and the skills available on the job market.

SOLIDWORKS

Dassault Systèmes' 3D CAD software for mechanical design. It covers parts, assemblies, sheet metal, weldments and drawings, with add-on modules for simulation, CAM and PDM. You can learn it in a few weeks, and many schools teach it, which makes hiring easier.

Its limits: it only runs on Windows, and its entry price is higher than Fusion or Onshape. Expect €3,480 excl. VAT per year for Standard, €4,152 for Professional and €5,496 for Premium, or a perpetual license starting at €6,300 plus maintenance.

Verdict : the default choice for a mechanical engineering department that wants a complete tool and trained candidates. See all SOLIDWORKS 2026 prices.

Autodesk Inventor

Autodesk's direct competitor to SOLIDWORKS. It fits well in companies that already draft in AutoCAD and manage their data in Vault. Feature-wise, the two cover the same ground.

It is subscription only: €2,265 excl. VAT per year (€2,718 incl. VAT as listed). Autodesk also offers pay-per-use with tokens (Flex).

Verdict : the right choice if you are already in the Autodesk ecosystem. If not, test it against SOLIDWORKS on your own parts before you decide.

Solid Edge

Siemens' mechanical CAD software, now sold under the Designcenter brand. What sets it apart is synchronous technology, which lets you edit imported geometry that has no feature history. It is popular for sheet metal work.

The Standard edition is listed at €3,879.69 per year (Siemens does not say whether VAT is included). Siemens offers a free Community Edition for personal, non-commercial use, and one free year for eligible startups.

Verdict : a real alternative for SMBs that rework a lot of supplier files.

PTC Creo

The successor to Pro/ENGINEER, one of the first parametric CAD packages. It handles large assemblies and complex products, at the cost of a longer learning curve.

Only the Design Essentials edition is sold online: €4,180 excl. VAT per year for a named-user license, €5,120 for a floating license. Higher editions go through PTC or a reseller.

Verdict : relevant when your customers or your parent company already work in Creo.

NX (Designcenter X)

Siemens' high-end package, used in automotive, aerospace and special machinery, often with integrated CAM. Siemens has renamed it: the offer is now called Designcenter X.

The entry-level Essentials edition runs in the browser at €2,260.52 per year. The Standard edition, the best seller according to Siemens, costs €7,633.24 per year (VAT status not specified).

Verdict : worth considering if your industry requires it. For an SMB just starting out, it is more tool than you need.

CATIA

Dassault Systèmes' software, born in aerospace. It handles products with thousands of parts, Class A surfaces and integrated disciplines (electrical, composites, piping). It is the standard at many aerospace and automotive manufacturers, and so at their suppliers too.

The entry cloud offer starts at €7,080 excl. VAT per year. CATIA V5 is still available for anyone who needs to exchange data in that format.

Verdict : the right tool when the project or the customer requires it. For everyday mechanical parts, you would be paying for complexity you do not need. The details are in our comparison: CATIA vs SOLIDWORKS.

TopSolid

The software from French vendor TOPSOLID (formerly Missler Software). It brings CAD, CAM and data management together in one environment, which appeals to shops that design and machine under the same roof.

TOPSOLID does not publish prices: everything goes through a quote. Students can get a license for €24 incl. VAT per year if their school is registered.

Verdict : worth a serious look if your business is manufacturing first.

Cloud-based 3D CAD

No heavy install, no license server, and a Mac is often enough. In return, your data lives with the vendor: check where it is hosted and how to get it back if you leave.

3DEXPERIENCE xDesign

Dassault Systèmes' browser-based 3D CAD, connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It runs on Mac and PC alike and shares data with SOLIDWORKS and CATIA on the same platform. €2,400 excl. VAT per year. 10 things to know to get started with xDesign.

Verdict : the Dassault Systèmes entry point for a team on Macs.

Autodesk Fusion

CAD, CAM, simulation and electronics in a single subscription, on Windows, Mac and in the browser. At €595 excl. VAT per year (€714 incl. VAT), it is the cheapest complete professional tool on this list. A free version exists for individuals earning less than $1,000 a year from non-commercial use.

Its limits show up on large assemblies and when several designers work on the same data.

Verdict : the best value for money for a freelancer or a small company. If the business grows, plan for a move to an engineering department tool.

Onshape

PTC's CAD that runs entirely in the browser, with built-in version control and real-time multi-user collaboration. €1,410 per year for Standard, €2,350 for Professional (prices shown by the vendor). The free plan is for non-commercial use only and makes your documents public. Startups can apply for free licenses.

Verdict : excellent for a team spread across several sites. Less suited if you have to keep your files on premises for contractual reasons.

Shapr3D

Direct modeling designed for the iPad and stylus, also available on Mac and Windows. You get a shape in a few minutes. €150 excl. VAT per year (Solo, €179.99 incl. VAT). For detailed drawings and complex assemblies, it does not replace an engineering department tool.

Verdict : a concept and product design tool, often used alongside another one.

Free CAD software

FreeCAD is the only truly free package on this list, commercial use included. It is open source (LGPL license), parametric, and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. The trade-off: a longer learning curve and no vendor support.

The other free offers all come with conditions:

• Fusion : personal, non-commercial use, revenue under $1,000 a year.
• Onshape : non-commercial use, public documents.
• Solid Edge Community Edition : personal, non-commercial use; its files cannot be opened in the paid versions.
• Education : Autodesk, Siemens, PTC, Onshape and Shapr3D offer free licenses to students and teachers, usually for one renewable year.

For SOLIDWORKS, legal options exist too, each with its own conditions: we cover them in how to get SOLIDWORKS for free, legally.

Our take : for learning or a personal project, free is enough. To sell parts, check the license terms before your first customer quote.

2D drafting: AutoCAD and its alternatives

If what you need is to produce and edit drawings in DWG format, there is no point paying for 3D CAD. The market is simple: AutoCAD is the benchmark, and several alternatives use the same commands for much less.

• AutoCAD : €1,840 excl. VAT per year (€2,208 incl. VAT), with industry-specific toolsets. AutoCAD LT, limited to 2D, costs €480 excl. VAT per year (€576 incl. VAT).
• DraftSight (Dassault Systèmes): €324 excl. VAT per year for Professional. Interface and commands close to AutoCAD, Windows and Mac. See also DraftSight with SOLIDWORKS.
• BricsCAD (Octave): €330 excl. VAT per year for Lite, €998 for Mechanical, maintenance included. The only one on the list that also runs on Linux. A perpetual license is available.
• ZWCAD : €799 excl. VAT one-time for Standard, perpetual license, maintenance not included. Windows only.

Our take : a drafter coming from AutoCAD adapts to DraftSight or BricsCAD in a few days. Across ten seats, the gap between AutoCAD and DraftSight is more than €15,000 excl. VAT per year.

How to choose: 6 criteria that actually matter

1. What you design. Machined parts and assemblies of a few hundred components do not call for the same tool as car bodies or aircraft. This is the first filter.

2. What your customers and suppliers use. Exchanging STEP files works, but you lose the feature history. If your prime contractor works in CATIA or NX, that carries a lot of weight.

3. Data management. As soon as two designers work on the same files, you need a PDM or a cloud platform. Check what is included and what is an option. Our PDM guide explains the topic.

4. Three-year cost. License, maintenance, training, workstation. A package that is €1,000 cheaper but needs two extra weeks of training is not cheaper.

5. The workstation. SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, Solid Edge and Creo need a Windows PC. On a Mac, look at Fusion, Onshape, Shapr3D or xDesign.

6. Available skills. Software your future candidates learned in school cuts training time. Ask the schools in your area what they teach.

The mistakes we see most often

Choosing on license price alone. The workstation, the training and the time lost in the first months cost more than the gap between two licenses.

Buying the most powerful tool "to be safe". A tool built for aerospace slows down an engineering department that designs frames and housings. You pay for the complexity every day.

Underestimating data migration. Switching from one package to another does not carry over the feature history. Plan how you will handle your old files.

Forgetting the conditions of free licenses. Selling a part designed with a non-commercial license exposes you to a compliance demand from the vendor.

Torn between SOLIDWORKS, CATIA and another tool? Estimate the exact cost of your setup with our price simulator, or talk to an engineer who will tell you honestly if another package would suit you better.

We are still here after the sale: Ohmycare for day-to-day support, and training to build up your teams' skills.